James W

Maybe you should do a full on detailed Jimmy Carter funny car for more 'practice.' Nice job btw

I would concur that the Camper Special would be just what an RFD would order to haul all that gear around. The spare tire was moved ahead of the rear axle for space reasons. Are you going to use the bed or will you just make a work body? It would be cool to build a slip in 200 gal tank and aux pump for the bed. An extended front bumper with grass basket would balance out the wheelbase. It's fun to play one-man apparatus commitee.

Sometimes a change of pace is a breath of fresh air. Several years ago, I found a set of white metal tools in a doll house store. They included a large vise that could be mounted on the back bumper of a work truck. I've even toyed with making it functional. It pays to look around and it pays to change up the building habits too.

I like this tip. It is the kind of thing that makes my projects take so long. Some times whatever-it-takes is the only method out there. Maybe you should offer some of those hub caps to other builders for a small fee, hint hint, nudge nudge. By the way, include your real name in your posts so the site cops won't arrest you.

If it is JoHan there probably was not a real funny car prototype. They did alot of funny cars that used the same bodies as the stock kits, it probably has door handles and windshield wipers etc. The Hurst Hairy Olds has radiused wheel wells front and back as well as front and back openings for the blowers. It is a Monogram. Sounds like a fun find. How cool.

I can just see Gregg doin' laps with one of those tied to his rear bumper.

A good looking start on one of the prettiest cars ever made. I like the wheels n tires.

It would be nice if there were money involved for all parties. In the transactions of this type that I've heard of, the owner of the original gets a couple copies of the resin as payment. Since there has not been a rush of resin copies of these kits, I 'm guessing there is not alot of profit in them yet. But prices on resale JoHan kits have been climbing. Perhaps it's time to prod the casters into action. If you know a caster or do business with one regularly, request some JoHan re-pops. That's capitalism in action.

It took me a while to see the value of the JoHan kits. Their oddball subject matter did not appeal to my teenage tastes in the late seventies. But I did like the low prices, especially when I only had $4.00 in my pocket. I liked the funky box art. It was Old School even then. The colors stood out. Remember AMT was doing built-ups on plain white backgrounds at that time. Eastwood Hobby in Salem kept the Johan stuff on the bottom rack. It was the last place you looked, usually when money was tight. A Petty Superbird and a 64 Dodge were favorite models. I bought a S/CRambler that had a flawed body and a Caddy came without a chrome tree. I sure wish today that the LHS had 30 JoHan kits to choose from at 80% the cost of the other kits. The last JoHan kit I bought in a LHS was Shahans' 69 AMX, that was in upstate New York in '89. As stated in the thread, the bodies seemed dead accurate. Very crisp lines, delicate even. Those tool makers were true artists.

That came togather fast. You have quite the creative streak to see this before you built it.

I checked this site out and it has some pretty good techniques and photos. Just goes to show what value there is to good references and breaking something down to it's basic shapes. Thanks for pointing out this site j

Hey Steve, loved the 'bare metal' flames on that fat ford. I guess it's time to break out the foil again.

This could be done by cutting the center section of the wheel you want to use from the rim, then attach a deeper rim in it's place. Many older kits have optional wide wheels. They can be a good source for rims to use. As for technique, mount the wheel in a motor tool or drill and use the back of a broken tip #11 x-acto as a parting tool on the outside of the rim. It will remove plastic from the cut line. A razor saw can also be used, but will tend to fill the teeth with plastic quickly. Use a low speed. You could also cut by hand and true up the rim with a file. If you are lucky, you might be able to cut the rim from the wheel center wihtout damage, then insert a tube of proper diameter to widen the rim using the original peices. Hope this helps.

Nice job on the bug. If it were from the Northwest, there'd be moss growing on it. Tell me more about the bead cone from Michaels.

When painted at the factory, 1:1 engines are painted as a closed assembly, oil pan to valve covers, so painting a model engine that way is acceptable for a factory look. It is hard to think that a resin caster would mold the carb and air cleaner in place. Are you sure they come that way? Contact the resin caster and find out the parts breakdown before you buy. They would be happy to talk with you. Most resin cast engines I have seen have seperate detail parts that could be painted before assembly. If it is all in one, paint the block color first, then get out the 00 and 000 brush and go to it. It's not as tough as it seems. Finish with a black wash and you will be surprised at th result.

The model companies mold kits in color so the novice modeler can build it without painting, but it does cause a few hang-ups for those who do paint. As you guessed, the red color will bleed through if painting a light color. This is caused by the solvents in the paint seeping into and lifting the color from the plastic. The solution is to use a non-solvent primer like an epoxy or acrylic to isolate the paint from the plastic. A search of this forum will yeild lots of tips to prevent bleed through. Most parts like the engine and chassis will not be a problem to cover with your favorite paint unless you paint them white or something. You could polish the plastic and clear it with paint or Future floor wax, but to me it still just looks like plastic when it's done. An alternative is to paint it with a transparent color like a candy and use the color of plastic to advantage like an undercoat. Sometimes the interior can be left unpainted as it looks more natural, vinyl seats are plastic right. Hope this helps and have fun building it.

Thanks Ron, I had tryed rubbing alcohol without much success. I'll try soaking like you suggested, if that dose not help I'll get some stronger stuff.

A bit of trivia. When the American Flag is displayed, the blue field should always be to the left. Public Law 829. I know that it is natural to think the blue field should lead as if trailing a poll on both sides of a vehicle. But this is incorrect for displaying the flag. If the prototype is wrong, the replica should be wrong as well. Otherwise do it right. Thank you for this tip. I had never thought of 'fixing' a flag decal this way.

I read the package and it warned that some contaminates will prevent cure. Guess what? They include the double sided tape I used to hold the parts. The molds are usable but I need to get the gooie (gooey?) RTV off my masters. What will cut the RTV and not harm my styrene parts???

I have used black india ink for many years for washes. It is water soluble. Just like mixing color, start with the light color and add dark, as water is VERY light, start with a little water in a lid or cup and add drops of ink until you have a mix that is right for you. It's hard to add washes as they tend to wash away previous applications so mix to taste. To cut the surface tension, you can add drops of rubbing alcohol to the water or use straight alcohol. Some chrome will deteriorate with application or even light handling. So flow the mixture where you want it rather than cover the whole piece with broad brush strokes. Sometimes the deterioration won't show after the wash is applied. Consider painting the chrome pieces with a clear gloss to protect them. Hope this helps.

Very nice build! Your research paid off 'cause the stance is spot on and details are so nice. I've never seen that kit so well done. Good Job!

Can I get those guys to come to my hobby room? They do good work!

Don't worry Andy, a hundred years from now when people look at this site, six months won't seem like much. To answer the original question, when I need a hole to match a specific rod, I use the rod to make a drill bit. Use a short piece of the rod and grind half the length to half it's diameter. Then grind the half round end to a point using two different angles. The shallow angle will scrape the bottom of the hole. The chips will exit the hole through the hollowed part of the rod. If using this bit in a motor tool it will be important to get the two angles on the correct sides. If using a pin vise, just turn the other direction.

I'm guessing they will not be interested in seeing how many boxes we've got in our collection, but big, well displayed collections of built ups. Come on guys, let's see how many forum members we can get published in this prestigious mag!

There is also a product called Goof-off or Goo Gone that is made for removing sticky stuff. It works great getting pitch off my 1:1, Don't know if it will start briquets however.